Career Summary

Biography

I have worked extensively in the US in the field of fundamental atomic physics. Between 2000 and 2006 I was involved in multidisciplinary teams that had expertise in both Food Technology and Marine Science. My work in that period involved a combination of very applied physics, such as the cooking of wheat and limpet adhesion mechanisms, together with more fundamental physics, such as the characterisation of conjugated polymers and the photo-dissociation of molecules. I am currently working in several teams studying diverse topics such as fundamental molecular physics, food science and human nutrition.

Research ExpertiseMy research work is multidisciplinary. I have done research in various areas of Applied Science, such as Marine Science, Food Science and Nanotechnology as well as fundamental atomic and molecular physics. Thus I have looked at physical processes in a variety of topics e.g. -The physical properties of cooked wheat in breakfast cereals. -Limpet adhesion mechanisms in the intertidal zone -The characterisation of conjugated polymers using photoluminescence techniques. -The photodissociation of simple molecules. My most recent research into the photodissociation of molecules is part of a collaborative effort with researchers in the US who were developing a new set of experiments at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on California. I am the team co-leader and involved in the planning of the experiments and their implementation while at the ALS.

Teaching ExpertiseMy teaching spans disciplines: -I teach extensively in all areas of first year physics. -I have also taught extensively in a first year course involving the ways in which computers are used in Science. -I have taught in a Marine Science course, Underwater Research Methods and diving -I teach a specialist course in atomic and molecular physics at third year level and Special Relativity and Atomic Physics at Second Year level.

Administrative ExpertiseI am currently Head of the Physics Discipline.

CollaborationsI am part of a successful collaboration with groups at the University of Nebraska and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the USA. We do work on fundamental molecular physics at the Advanced Light Source in California.

Background and Aims: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are linked to disease and are potential biomarkers. Vitamin D may modulate miRNA profiles, and vitamin D status has been linked... [more]

Background and Aims: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are linked to disease and are potential biomarkers. Vitamin D may modulate miRNA profiles, and vitamin D status has been linked to risk of disease, including cardiovascular disease and cancers. We hypothesise that genotypic variance influences these relationships. We examined the correlations between vitamin D intake and circulating levels of the miRNAs let-7a/b, and the involvement of two common vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms, BsmI and ApaI. Methods: Two hundred participants completed food frequency and supplement questionnaires, and were assayed for circulating let-7b expression by qPCR. Polymorphisms were detected using restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR. Results: let-7b expression negatively correlated with vitamin D intake (rs = -0.20, p = 0.005). The magnitude and direction of correlation were maintained in the presence of the BsmI restriction site (rs = -0.27, p = 0.0005). However, in the absence of BsmI restriction site, the direction of the correlation was reversed (rs = +0.319, p = 0.0497). These correlations were significantly different (z-score = 2.64, p = 0.0085). The correlation between vitamin D intake and let-7a was only significant in those without the ApaI restriction site. Conclusions: The correlation between vitamin D intake and let-7a/b expression in this cohort varies with VDR genotype. This study highlights the importance of considering underlying genotypic variance in miRNA expression studies and in nutritional epigenetics generally.

While it is clear that on-line education offers new opportunities for students to study in a way that suits their particular learning style, there are laboratory-based disciplines... [more]

While it is clear that on-line education offers new opportunities for students to study in a way that suits their particular learning style, there are laboratory-based disciplines that require hands-on experience with real world systems. This is especially true in Physics where a standard curriculum involves a large amount of laboratory-based work. While computer-based simulation software has been used extensively in engineering and various science-based areas these are not a direct substitute for traditional Physics experimental labs which provide students with the practical skills of handling real equipment, and measuring with sufficient accuracy and precision to allow comparison with various theoretical predictions. On-line laboratories where distance students have remote control over real laboratory equipment is a practical alternative to traditional physics laboratories, at least for some classes of experiments. This paper describes the development of a remote-controlled Cosmic Ray Telescope experiment at the University of Newcastle.